Doctor Iron's Kalimba Song
by Terry Winder
Summary: Vixen, Steel & Key Lime Pie


DOCTOR IRON'S KALIMBA SONG by Terry Winder  
Copyright 2005

Disclaimer: I don't own them and my life would be so different if I did.

On the Watchtower there was no morning or night – at least not by normal Earth standards. There was no sunrise or sunset. One knew what time it was because the body was the clock. It said when to get up, when to eat, when to sleep. And right now, John Henry Iron's body was telling him it was time to eat.

It had been a long day dragging well into the early morning and he was glad it was over. He wasn't tired, just hungry.

Minutes ago, he'd returned from a challenging adventure and it was the kind he liked best: a mission where he got to exercise his mind as well as use his strength. It was a good day because he got to work with Superman again. And he liked that. He really liked that.

Superman said he would fill out the after action reports and told John to have a 'good evening.' That was so typical of him. He knew John wanted to get home to his niece, Natasha, and his mother as soon as possible. Both had the flu and John wanted to make sure they were okay. The question in his mind now was whether to grab a quick bite in the cafeteria or go home and fix himself something to eat there.

As he walked down the corridor, John thought about the fact that he could never call Superman any of the nicknames that others had called him. Calling the other Man of Steel "Supes" just sounded so wrong - and rude. _Momma raised me better than that._

He stuck his head in the cafeteria. On the wall there were twenty-five clocks, each one set to a different time zone. He checked the clock for the Metropolis time zone.

Two A.M.

It was too late to go home and eat. He would certainly wake everyone up fixing himself something to eat in the kitchen at this time of the morning. No. He would get a quick snack here and then go home. _Something light and no caffeine.__ No reason to stay up later than I have to._ _Oh. My. Gosh. No. Yes!_

He saw it underneath the glass sneeze guard and made a beeline for it. A slice of key lime pie. Yes, this and a cup of decaf and he would be okay.

As he stood at the register waiting for the cashier to charge his account, he looked around for a place to sit. Then he saw her. Vixen. She was seated in the corner and having a cup of coffee.

It was funny, he thought, that there were so many of them up here now and yet sometimes it was as if they weren't up there together. He worked with whomever J'onn assigned to him and sometimes he might socialize with them afterwards in an effort to build a continuing friendship.

But more often than not, John kept to himself, viewing his membership in the League as something he did because of his friendship with Superman – until now.

Suddenly he had a chance to see one of the membership benefits. He could get the autograph of one hero Natasha admired.

He picked up his tray and started for her table. _Wait a minute. You don't have a pen or anything for her to write on. What's she gonna sign, jerk, your suit? Get a pen and don't forget the paper!_

He turned back and tapped the cashier on her shoulder. "Do you have a pen I can borrow? I'll give it right back."

The cashier reached into her drawer and gave John a pen, and then as if she had anticipated his next question, handed him a small sheet of paper. John sheepishly took the paper and pen and looked at the cashier in surprise.

"Every time she comes in here, especially if she's alone, someone will ask for her autograph," the cashier said.

"Oh," John said upon a short reflection. "Does she give out a lot of autographs?"

The cashier shrugged. "Not my business. Just please bring the pen back when you're done so I can loan it to the next guy who asks."

John laughed, nodded at the cashier and headed toward her table.

_Okay. What are you gonna say? Think about this. One chance to make a first impression. Make it good._

She was staring into her cup as if her mind was elsewhere. He stood at her table and waited for her to look up. She did.

"Hi," he said. _Oh that's clever. Impress her with your vocabulary. _

She nodded an acknowledgment. "Is that pen and paper for me?" she asked.

John smirked and nodded 'yes.'

She reached up and took the pen and paper out of his hand, quickly scribbled on it and gave it back to him.

"Nice meeting you," she said as she stared back into her cup.

John stared at the signed paper for a moment and then back down at her. "Ahem. May I sit down?" he asked.

She looked up. John wasn't sure what to make of her expression. He thought he saw annoyance in her face for a moment and then surprise. "Did I spell the name wrong, Steel? It's Steel without an 'e', right?" she replied.

"No," he answered as he sat down at the table and held up the paper in his hand showing it to her. "You spelled 'Steel' just fine, Vixen. The problem is the autograph is for my niece and her name is Natasha."

She lowered and shook her head in amused embarrassment, then smiled broadly as she looked up at him. "I'm so sorry," she said taking the paper back from him. "I sign these things by reflex you know."

John took a sip of his coffee. "I can kinda guess that. Though there aren't many who ask me for my autograph."

He placed his hammer under the table and quickly took a bite of his pie. _Oh cool move Romeo. First, you sound like you're jealous of her celebrity and now you're going to talk to her with a mouth full of pie. _

_But man, it's key lime pie! _

He quickly swallowed, angry that he didn't really get to enjoy that first bite the way he envisioned when he bought the dessert.

"I mean," he continued, "my niece is such a big fan of yours and if I thought I was disturbing you I wouldn't have asked."

Vixen stood up. "You didn't ask," she said as she walked to the cashier and got another sheet of paper. John noticed the cashier smiling at him as Vixen walked back to the table. He also noticed how _revealing_ her costume was.

She sat back down. "Please eat your pie," she said. "I had a slice earlier and it was delicious."

John's eyes widened. "You like key lime pie?" _Imagine that. She likes pie too. That costume doesn't hide anything, does it? Keep your eyes on her face, man, on her face._

"It is my favorite pie," he continued. "I like it better than pears…um…apples." He looked down at the table and stammered, "I meant most fruit pies." _Oh that was so smooth, real smooth. Eyes on her face._

She smiled at him. "I like apple pie." She paused. "How should I make out the autograph?"

"To Natasha, N-A-T-A-S-H-A." he answered. _That was nice of her, letting me off the hook like that. Some others up here probably would've ripped my face off for slipping like that._

"How about this? 'To Natasha. We have a mutual hero. Signed Mari Macabe.'"

"That's very kind of you," John said. "She will really treasure this." Then he added, "You are her idol." _Man shut up. She's gonna think you're a jerk._

She stood up as she slid the signed paper across the table to him. "I have to go on duty in ten minutes and I don't want to be late."

He took a sip of his coffee and stood up. "Vixen, thank you very much."

"You're welcome," she smiled. "Oh before I go will you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

She gave him a sheet of paper and a pen. "Can I get your autograph?"

END


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